Sorting system



A. F. DOOLEY SORTING SYSTEM Jan. 19, 1954 8 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 20, 1949 ?7zvenfo?' M,MI

Jan. 19, 1954 A. F. DOOLEY 2,666,535

- SORTING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 20, 1949 8 Sheets-Sheet 3 A. F. DOOLEY SORTING SYSTEM Jan. 19, 1954 8 Sheets-Sheet 4 Filed Aug. 20, 1949 Jan. 19, 1954 A. F. DOOLEY ,6 6, 3

SORTING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 20, 1949 8 Sheets-Sheet 5 Era/4277209 Jan. 19, 1954 DQOLEY 2,666,535

SORTING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 20, 1949 8 Sheets-Sheet 6 Jan. 19, 1954 F, LEY 2,666,535

SORTING SYSTEM Filed Aug. 20, 1949 I 8 Sheets-Sheet 7 A. F. DOOLEY SORTING SYSTEM Jan. 19, 1954 8 Sheets-Sheet 8 Filed Aug. 20, 1949 Patented Jan. 19, 1954 UNITED srArss SORTING SYSTEM Arthur F. Dooley, Salem, Mass., assignor to Jordan Marsh Company, Boston, Mass., 2, corporation of Massachusetts Application August .20, 1949, Serial No. 111,471

4 Claims. (Cl. 214-41) My invention relates to sorting and encompasses a conveyor system equipped to discharge selected objects at predetermined stations in accordance with a code or pro-arranged plan.

Although the system of my invention is capable of use in a wide variety of industrial environments, I shall describe it as it is employed to sort retail store packages into various delivery zone groups.

In large stores it is customary to send wrapped packages into a delivery room upon a long conveyor belt along which stand a number of sorters whose duty it is to read the addresses or route code numbers on the packages and remove them from the belt at stations representing the different routes followed by the delivery trucks. It will be seen that the sorter at the first station must scan 100% of the packages in order to pick out those few bearing addresses in his zone. The last sorter theoretically has only to remove all packages arriving at his station, although in practice packages for other stations reach him as the result of errors of the previous sorters. Such a system requires a large number of persons for work of the most tedious kind.

The most important object of my invention is to provide a practical automatic sorting conveyor.

Another object of the invention is to reduce the cost of delivering merchandise by eliminating non-productive man hours wasted by sorters in scanning packages not pertinent to their activity.

Another object of the invention is to increase the speed and efficiency with which large numbers of objects may be separated into discrete groups or classes. I

An important feature of my invention resides in the combination of a conveyor belt having a series of groups of holes, .a plurality of means for removing objects from the belt, and actuating fingers mounted beneath the belt in spaced laterally offset relation, each actuating finger being effective to operate one of said objectremoving means in response to excitation by a ball dropped through one of the holes in the belt. A plate supports the upper run of the belt and is provided with holes over each of the actuating fingers. The result is that a sorter at the head of the belt may scan the addresses of the incoming packages and then drop a ball into that one of the group of holes by the package which will ride over the desired finger, The ball then rides in the belt hole and upon the l t ntil it drops through the hole in the plate,

operates the actuating finger and effects'removal of the package at the pre-selected station.

These and other objects and features of the invention will be best understood and appreciated from the following detailed description of preferred embodiments selected for purposes of illustration and shown in the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figs. 1-3 are views in vertical cross-section through a ball-loading device associated with a conveyor belt,

Figs. 4 and 5 are views in vertical cross-section through the control mechanism for removing packages at one selected station,

Fig. 6 is a plan View of an alternate form of ball-carrying device,

Fig. '7 is a view in cross-section along the line 1! of Fig. 6,

Fig. 8 is a view in perspective showing the preferred form of package removing device,

Figs. 9-11 are exploded views in perspective of elements of the package-removing system shown in Fig. 8,

Figs. 12 and 13 are side elevations of the two ends of the conveyor system,

Fig. 14 is a view in cross-section along the line I l-l4 of Fig. 13,

Fig. 15 is a view in perspective showing a second type of package remover,

Fig. 16 is a view in perspective showing a sorting system constructed according to the invention and illustrating a third type of package remover,

Fig. 17 is a view in end elevation of the remover shown in Fig. 16, and

Fig. 18 is a plan view of the package remover shown in Figs. 16 and 17.

Before proceeding to a detailed description of the several parts, I shall first discuss in general the organization of the important instrumentalities and functions of the system of my invention. For this purpose reference may be made to Fig. 16 wherein a complete unit is shown assembled about a long conveyor belt 2% mounted to run through a long straight reach across an elongated supporting plate 262. At one side of the belt is a succession of roller chutes 204, 268 and 208, while small delivery rooms, or bins, are shown at 210, 2l2 and 2M. Poised over the conveyor belt 260 and suspended at intervals from the ceiling is a plurality of pairs of inclined tracks 22!), each track containing an endless chain driven by a power unit 222 carrying four sweeps or paddles 228, the arrangement being such that the belt moves.

. theupper arcuate plate 558 shown in Fig. 7. The base plate is in turn secured along a longitudinal margin at right angles to the hinge 354 to one element oi'a long hingeet t which joins the base plate 355 to an upper plate 316, the plates 356 and 3 E it being recessed to accommodate the hinge members. I I

[l stud 352 secured to one corner of the base plate Bil-ii carries a freely turning roller 3M, and a stud 355 secured to the upper plate 3") at the other side of the belt carries a freely turning roller 3 i8.

Secured closely parallel the plate 382 and underlying the rollers M8 is a fiat plate or track member 328 along which the rollers 3l8 travel as At spaced positions along the track 32s are plate lifts secured in place by suitable brackets 322 and each comprising an upwardly and inwardly inclined guide track 324 to the forward end of which is secured a short pivotally mounted track section 325. A latch 328 normally engages a projecting stop 333 on the member 326 and serves to hold the latter in elevated position sufiiciently high to clear the successive rollers 318 as they travel over the plate 329. A solenoid 332 is poised over the latch 328 an serves, when energized, to release the latch and permit the track section 326 to pivot downwardly to rest at its end on the track 320. The lowered section engages an oncoming roller 3H8 and causes it to travel up the inclined track 324 and then back down again. During this operation the upper plate 318 is pivoted upwardly about the hinge 388 to the position shown at the second station in Fig. 8. The inclination of the plate 3H3 is suflicient to cause any package placed thereon to slide off into a receiving chute (not shown in Fig. 8). As the roller 3I8 travels up the pivoting track section 326 it encounters an upwardly inclined finger 326A, shown best in Fig. 10, and forces the track 326 to return to its latched position so that the latch 328 again engages the stop 33ii and the section 326 is held in elevated position until such time as the solenoid 332 is again energized. As before, the solenoid is controlled by a microswitch which in turn is controlled by an actuating finger operated by one of the balls 5638 as shown in Figs.

4i and 5.

At the rear end of the track 326 is another pivoted track section 336 with which is integrally formed a counterweight 333 so dimensioned as normally to hold the track section 336 in horizontal elevated position. When a roller 3! travels down the rear portion of the track 324, it rolls onto the pivoting section 330 which then is lowered by the weight of the roller so that the rollertravels down it and back to the surface of the long plate 329. When the roller 3? leaves the far end of the track 336, the counterweight 338 is effective to restore this section to horizontal elevated position.

In order to provide for smooth travel of the tilting plate assembly over the ends of the conveyor belt runs I employ the arcuate guide tracks shown. in Figs. '12 and 13. Fig. 12 shows the head end of the conveyor system with the belt Std traveling over the plate 392 after leaving the surface of a large wheel 359. At'one side of the wheel 35d there is provided an arcuate guide track 352, in which travels the successive rollers 353, merging into a straight track 354 running completely along the lower run of the conveyor. At the opposite side of the wheel there is a second arcuate track 6550f larger diameterI-than that of 6 the track 352. The track 356 servesas a guide for the rollers 3M. The track 3 56 also'merges into a straight track 358 running .the entire length of the conveyor. It will beseen that the straight tracks 354 and 35B serve tohold the plates 3! El and 305 fiat on the belt 3% as it travels along its lower run; then when a plate assembly approaches the forward end of the conveyor at the bottom thereof, the roller 3E8 enters the track 352 while the roller 3M enters the track 35%. As the belt travels around the wheel 35E! both plates 3% and 3H! hinge about the member 38% and drop away from the surface or" the belt 3M3. This action permits the belt to flex into the curve of the wheel while the arcuate tracks 352 and 354 guide the rollers and thus the plates in smooth fashion. At the top of the wheel the tracks 352 and 3555 are discontinued because gravity then brings both plates 3% and 3m in flat condition upon,

the belt tilt. A similar arrangement is shown at Fig. 13 at the rear end of the conveyor, where the belt travels over a wheel 369, there being provided an arcuate track 352 for the rollers SIB and a larger diameter arcuate track 364 for the rollers 3M. At their lower ends the tracks 362 and 354 merge respectively into thestraight bottom tracks 35d and 353.

Although in Figs. :8-14 the plate assemblies have been shown as relatively widely spaced, in practice it will be found advisable to space them very closely in order that the maximum area of the belt be usefully employed. The operation of the balls which control the package discharge means and as described in connection with Figs. 1-5 is, of course, applicable to the system shown in Figs. 8-14.

In Fig. 15 I have shown a second form of mechanism for removing packages or other objects from the conveyor belt at desired locations. As before, there is provided a plate Mi) over which travels a conveyor belt 392. Permanently secured to the belt at spaced intervals is a base plate 434 supporting an inclined bracket 4% which in turn supports an inclined plate tilt. Hinged to the bottom of the inclined plate 408 is a tailboard Mil normally held in upwardly inclined position, as shown at the first station in Fig. 15, by means of a latch M2 secured to a stud extending from the rear inside corner of the tailgate. A keeper il l is pivotally mounted on a stud 4H6 rotating in a lug e68 mounted on the base plate GM. A spring i -2i! secured at one end to the base plate @8 2 is secured at its other end to a finger 22 fastened to the inner end of the stud ilt and serves to hold the keeper M4 in elevated position in which it engages the latch 412 and thus serves to hold the tail gate in upper or closed position. A solenoid $22 is mounted beneath the plate set adjacent each discharge location and, when energized, acts to draw the keeper did downwardly to release the latch 452 and let the tail gate swing out and down to the position shown in the second station in Fig. 15. A long strip of metal 539 is supported by brackets s32 parallel and closely adjacent the plate 399. In advance of the location of each of the solenoids 322 there is provided an inwardly and upwardly inclined guide 43 which serves to engage any oncoming tail gate which is in lowered position and raise it again until the latch M2 engages the keeper.

In operation the packages reaching the conveyor are placed upon the inclined plates 48B and held there by the tail gates. Each package thereafter travels along on the conveyor until such time as the appropriate solenoid is energized and the tail gate released. Thereupon the package slides on the plate 408 and into a receiving chute (not shown in Fig. '15). The energization of the solenoids 42-2 is carried out selectively in the manner exactly as described in conjunction with Figs. 1-5.

In Figs. 16-18 I have shown a third embodiment of a package removing mechanism. Inasmuch as this has previously been described in general, it will here be necessary merely to describe the sweeps and their drives. I provide for each package remover a pair of substantially U-sha-pe'd ceiling 2'55 adapted to be bolted to the oiling of t e room in which the conveyor is located. Each pair of brackets '25!) supports adr ive unit housed in a rectangular casing 222, as well as a pair of horizontally and vertically inclined track mem ers 226 in which there is contained an endless ch in (not shown). The endless chains are driven in synchronism and support at intervals pairs of depending rods 2'52 and 25 5, each of these pairs of rods being matched by ano-pposing pair depending from the other chain and joined at the bottom by swivel joints 256. Each set of pairs of the depending rods carries a hat sweep or paddle 228 positioned to move across and along the top of the belt 2513. The direction of movem nt of he sweeps is at an angle with respect to the belt so that each sweep moves across the belt and with the belt. Each time a ball puts the power unit 222 into operation, the chains are advanced by an amount sufficient to move one sweep entirely across the belt and then stop. During this movement any package intercepted by the sweep will be pushed off the belt and into one of the receiving chutes 2 84, 2-36 and 298. The details of the endless chains and their drive have not been illustrated because, per se, the-y form no part of my invention are in fact standard equipment manufactured by several different companies and illustrated, for example, in catalogue No. 1-3-83 of the Richards-Wilcox Mfg. Co., Aurora, Illinois.

In summation, it will be evident that l have invented a sorting conveyor in which the belt is never stopped, thus facilitating rapid and efli-cient ope 'ation. Moreover since each object to be sorted is accompanied one of the balls appropriately placed, the operation of the package removing mechanism is independent of the speed of the belt. If for some "reason the belt is stopped while packages upon it, no harm is done since the packages will be discharged at the proper location when the belt is again started up. When it is considered that in connection with ordinary conveyors used for sorting purposes by large re tail establishments, for example, as many as thirty-one persons are employed in scanning the oncoming packages and removing them at the various stations, the importance of my invention will readily be understood. Whereas hereto-fore each sorting station has required a separate operator, a single person serve several stations in my system, moving periodically from one to another to remove accumulated packages from the receiving chutes and place them into the delivery bins.

Although I have illustrated systems in which all objects are discharged on the same side of the conveyor belt, it is'qui-te feasible, by obvious modifications, to secure discharge on both sides. Also it will be apparent that the balls may be loaded 8 by hand in the conveyor belt if for any reason such procedur is preferred.

Having thus disclosed by invention what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

l. A sorting conveyor comprising a single endless package-carrying belt, a plate supporting one runof 'said belt, a plurality of package discharging means associated with said belt, an actuating switch operatively connected with each of said discharging means, said plate having a hole at the location of each of said discharging means, said holes being laterally ofiset with respect to each other, a plurality of spaced rows of holes in said belt, each of said switches having aoontrol member disposed beneath one of said holes in said plate, whereby a missile may be placed in a selected one of said belt holes to travel across said plate until it encounters a predetermined one of said holes in said plate and thereupon drop upon and actuate one of said switch control members.

2. A sorting conveyor, comprising an endless obieotmarrying belt, means moan the belt for continuous movement, a plate supporting one run or" the belt, said belt having "a plurality of g cups Of holes, a pluralityo f independent means for removing obj-cots from said belt at spaced positions along said run, a trip finger controlling each of said removing means, said fingers being disposed at spaced positions underlying said plate, said plate having an opening overlying each trip finger, a plurality of vertical tubes disposed be heath said belt and communicating with holes in said plate, and means for ejecting a ball from a selected tube through a hole in said plate and into a hole in said belt, whereby said ball will be carried by said belt to an opening in said plate overlying a trip finger, said opening being sufficiently large to permit the ball to pass therethrough, whereby said ball trips said finger to actuate said object removing means.

3. In a conveyor system including an endless conveyor belt and 'a plurality of package removers for removing packages from said bolt, the combination of a plate supporting one run of said belt, a plurality of tubes mounted beneath holes formed in said plate, 'a switch mounted adjacent each tube, and -aswitch-"actuating finger disposed within each of said tubes, means for actuating said fingers, each of said switches being connected to control one of said package removers, solid "belt having a plurality of groups of holes for carrying the finger actuating means, one hole of each group being longitudinally aligned with one of said tubes, whereby a finger actuating means may be carried by said belt to a longitudinally aligned tube to actuate the finger within said tube.

In a conveyor system including a conveyor bolt, the combination of an elongated plate, .a

roup of loading tubes disposed transversely beneath said plate at one location and communicating with holes formed in said plate, a plurality of receiving tubes mounted beneath single spaced holes in said plate, means including a magnetic plunger disposed in each of said loading tubes for selectively ejecting a series of steel balls from each of said loading tubes to the surface 01' said plate, a switch mounted adjacent each receiving tube, a switchactuating finger disposed in each of said recei 'ng tubes adapted to be actuated byoneof said steel balls, each receiving tube being aligned longitudinally at said plate with but one of said loading tubes and means operatively associated with said conveyor belt for transporting said steel balls from the holes in said plate communicating with loading tubes to the respective longitudinally aligned holes in the plate communicating with the receiving tubes.

ARTHUR F. DOOLEY. 5

Number Name Date Cowley May 8, 1917 10 Rottenburg Oct. 30, 1917 Number I 1,876,252 1,924,146

0 Name Date Lehman Sept. 6, 1932 Almgren Aug. 29, 1933 Loomis Feb. 13, 1934 Larsen et a1 June 12, 1934 Began Aug. 20, 1935 Regan et a1. Feb. 9, 1943 Russell Apr. 6, 1943 Mackechnie Dec. 6, 1949 

